By Judith Gayle | Political Waves
I had to laugh when I read this sentence, from the Sky portion of Friday’s Planet Waves edition: “A lot came out in the wash when Mercury stationed direct on July 21, as if deeper layers of emotional and mental reality suddenly opened up in a downpour.” Truer words were seldom spoken, and on any number of levels: emotional, mental AND material.
Here in the Pea Patch we’re experiencing another day of pounding rain, with the current storm system stalled over the state for more than a week and not projected to move any time soon. The county is on continual alert from flash flooding, and people have died here in Missouri as well as other spots in the Midwest. The unexpected intensity of the region’s traditional “summer showers” has created an emergency situation; property damage is significant, and seasonal activities that bring needed income to resort areas have been considerably dampened, no pun intended.
On a personal note, the dogs are bored and restless from being so long inside, the lake is filling too fast, endangering the docks, and my little garden is awash. I’ve had to prop up my tomato plants, already staked, to keep them from toppling in the drenched soil. Coming on late due to a too hot, then too cold, spring, the few tomatoes ripe enough to pick have split skin, plumped by an excess of water. I read recently that crops in Florida and across the south have similar issues and are either ruined or tasteless, which will impact produce prices across the nation.